B2C11TH ANNUAL B2CCONTENT BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS

INSIGHTS FOR 20211 TABLE OF CONTENTS SURVEY TERM DEFINITIONS m INTRODUCTION...... 3 Content marketing: A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing m KEY FINDINGS...... 4 valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, m MATURITY & STRATEGY...... 5 ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. m TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING...... 10 Success: Achieving your organization’s desired/ m & DISTRIBUTION...... 17 targeted results. m METRICS, GOALS & OVERALL SUCCESS...... 26 Note: In instances where we observed notable m BUDGETS & SPENDING...... 31 year-over-year differences, this report contains comparisons with findings from last year’s 10th m INSIGHTS FOR 2021...... 35 annual survey—reported on in B2C Content m METHODOLOGY...... 40 Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends. m ABOUT...... 41

ANN LISA STEPHANIE STAHL CATHY McPHILLIPS HANDLEY MURTON General Manager, CMI VP Marketing, CMI Chief Content Officer, ROBERT ROSE JOSEPH “JK” MarketingProfs BEETS Research Director/ Chief Strategy Advisor, CMI KALINOWSKI Report Author, CMI Creative Director, CMI KIM MOUTSOS VP Content, CMI

2 INTRODUCTION

elcome to our annual B2C Content Many B2C marketers reported adjusting quickly W Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and when the pandemic hit; perhaps their companies Trends report. Here we present the results from were doubling down on digital, heavily engaging B2C marketers who replied to our 11th Annual in virtual events, or trying to keep on top of rapidly Content Marketing Survey. changing analytics resulting from more people being at home and online. All these scenarios The events of 2020 have certainly reshaped created the need for new content, formats, and how organizations conduct their marketing. strategies. At the time of this survey, content marketers were still reeling from the events that took As we move into 2021 in a world where most place during the first half of 2020. As we gatherings are still limited, direct-to-consumer will usher in 2021, we are still facing constant continue to drive B2C. Successful B2C marketers change and uncertainty. will focus on creating content experiences and building relationships in the digital world.

3 KEY FINDINGS

B2C content marketers are Many have small content Nearly half have established becoming more strategic. marketing teams. online communities.

Seventy-three percent of respondents report Consistent with our past research, 52% Forty-eight percent say their organization their organization has a content marketing report their organization has a small (or one- has established an online community. The strategy. Of those, 42% have a documented person) marketing/content marketing team survey defined an online community as a strategy, up from 33% the previous year. serving the entire organization. See page 13. space where your audience can engage with See page 7. each other and your in the form of •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• discussions, posts, surveys, etc. See page 21. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Livestreaming video •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• They responded quickly saw a big jump in use. when the pandemic hit. is the top social When we looked at the content types B2C media platform. Eighty-two percent agree their organization marketers are using compared with one year made quick changes due to the pandemic. ago, livestreaming video had the biggest Facebook is the social media platform that The top reported adjustment was “changed increase (35% vs. 13% the previous year). B2C marketers use most often (both organic our targeting/messaging strategy” (63%). See page 20. and paid). That was also the case last year. See pages 8 and 9. The use of organic Instagram and YouTube increased over last year, by seven and 10 percentage points, respectively. See pages 23 and 25.

4 11TH ANNUAL

B2CMATURITY CONTENT& STRATEGY MARKETING BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS

5

INSIGHTS FOR 2021 MATURITY & STRATEGY

41% of B2C marketers report their organization is in the sophisticated/mature phase of content marketing maturity.

How B2C Marketers Rate Their Organization’s SOPHISTICATED Content Marketing Maturity Level Providing accurate measurement to the business, scaling across the organization 7% 12% MATURE ■ Sophisticated Finding success, yet challenged with integration across ■ Mature the organization 24% ■ 29% Adolescent ADOLESCENT ■ Young Possessing a business case, seeing early success, ■ First Steps becoming more sophisticated with measurement and scaling 28% YOUNG Experiencing growing pains, challenged with creating a cohesive strategy and a measurement plan Base: B2C content marketers. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020. FIRST STEPS Doing some aspects of content, but have not yet begun to make content marketing a process

6 MATURITY & STRATEGY

42% of B2C marketers indicate their organization has a documented content marketing strategy, up from 33% the previous year.  68% report their organization made major or moderate adjustments to their content marketing strategy in response to the pandemic.  51% describe the adjustments as both short- and long-term.

Percentage of B2C Marketers Impact of Pandemic on With a Content Marketing Strategy B2C Content Marketing Strategy

6% 5% ■ Major ■ Yes, and it is documented ■ Moderate ■ Yes, but it is not documented 26% ■ Slight 22% ■ No, but plan to within 12 months 27% 42% ■ None ■ No, with no plans Base: B2C content marketers whose Base: B2C content marketers. 31% organizations have a content marketing strategy. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. 42% B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020 Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

Nature of Adustments Made to B2C Content Marketing Strategy as a Result of Pandemic

9% ■ Short-term adjustments ■ Long-term adjustments 34% ■ Both short- and long-term adjustments ■ Unsure

51% Base: B2C content marketers whose organizations adusted 6% their strategy in response to the pandemic. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

7 MATURITY & STRATEGY

Most B2C marketers surveyed agree their organization made quick and effective pandemic-related changes and expect the changes to stay in effect for the foreseeable future.

B2C Marketers’ Opinions About Changes Their Organization Made to Content Marketing in Response to Pandemic

Our organization made uick changes 9% 7% 2% due to the pandemic. 46% 36%

Our organization made effective changes 11% 6% 3% due to the pandemic. 38% 42%

We expect some of the changes we made to stay in effect for the foreseeable future. 36% 48% 12% 3% 1%

2 4 6 8

■ Strongly agree ■ Somewhat agree ■ Neither agree nor disagree ■ Somewhat disagree ■ Strongly disagree

Base: B2C content marketers who answered each statement. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

8 MATURITY & STRATEGY

63% of B2C marketers surveyed changed their messaging/targeting strategy in response to the pandemic. Far fewer took actions such as revisiting customer personas (18%) and changing their content marketing metrics (13%).

Content Marketing Changes B2C Organizations Made in Response to the Pandemic

Changed targeting/messaging strategy 63% Adjusted editorial calendar 54%

Changed content distribution/promotion strategy 46% Put more resources toward social media/online communities 43% Changed website 37%

Reexamined customer journey 34%

Increased time spent talking with customers 26% Changed our products/services 25% Adjusted key performance indicators (KPIs) 23% Revisited customer/buyer personas 18% Changed content marketing metrics 13% (e.g., set up new analytics/dashboards) 2 4 6 8

Base: B2C content marketers whose organizations made at least one of the changes shown on the aided list. Multiple responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

9 11TH ANNUAL B2CTEAM B2CCONTENTSTRUCTURE & MARKOUTSOURCINGETING BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS

10

INSIGHTS FOR 2021 The majority of respondents (57%) reported the size of their content marketing team was the same as 12 months ago and 31% said it had increased.

TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING

60% of all respondents said the size of their content marketing team was the same as 12 months ago. Around one- third of those from large organizations reported an increase.

Size of B2C Content Marketing Team Compared With 12 Months Ago

All Respondents 1-99 Employees 100+ Employees

Increased 27% 21% 34%

Stayed the same 60% 67% 52%

Decreased 13% 13% 15%

Base: B2C content marketers. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

11 TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING

Large B2C organizations tend to have bigger content marketing teams, often in the two- to five-employee range.

B2C Organizations’ Content Marketing Team Size (Full Time/Dedicated to Content Marketing)

All Respondents 1-99 Employees 100+ Employees

11+ 7% 2% 13%

6-10 6% 3% 10%

2-5 37% 31% 42%

1 25% 29% 20%

0 (no one is full time, dedicated) 26% 36% 15%

Base: B2C content marketers. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

12 TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING

Half of the B2C marketers surveyed report small (or one-person) marketing/content marketing teams serving the entire organization.

B2C Organizations’ Content Marketing Team Structure

All Respondents 1-99 Employees 100+ Employees

We have a small (or one-person) marketing/content marketing team serving the entire organization. 52% 70% 32%

We have a centralized content marketing group that works with multiple /products/departments throughout 23% 17% 30% the organization.

Both — We have a centralized group and individual teams throughout the organization. 20% 10% 31%

Each brand/product/department has its own content marketing team. 5% 3% 7%

Base: B2C content marketers. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

13 TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING

49% of B2C marketers report their organization outsources at least one content marketing activity, with large companies being more likely to outsource.

Does Your B2C Organization Outsource Any Content Marketing Activities?

All Respondents 1-99 Employees 100+ Employees

Yes 49% 42% 56%

No 51% 58% 44%

Base: B2C content marketers. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

14 TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING

Among those who outsource, content creation is the activity most outsourced by far.

Content Marketing Activities B2C Organizations Outsource

Content creation 75%

Content distribution 40% Measurement 27% Content strategy 25%

Content technology 23%

Editorial planning 23%

Other 7%

2 4 6 8 Base: B2C content marketers whose organizations outsource at least one content marketing activity. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

15 TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING

B2C marketers who outsource at least one content marketing activity say their biggest challenges are budget issues (52%) and finding partners with adequate topic expertise (52%).

Top 5 Challenges When Seeking Outsourced B2C Content Marketing Help

Budget issues 52%

Finding partners with adeuate topic expertise 52%

Finding partners who understand/are able to empathize with our audience 45%

Lack of clear return on investment (ROI) metrics 43%

Finding partners who can provide adeuate strategic advice 33%

Lack of integration with our organization’s process/tools 28%

Lack of comprehensive solutions from one partner 20%

Finding partners who consistently deliver on time 14%

Other 7%

2 4 6

Base: B2C content marketers whose organizations outsource at least one content marketing activity. Aided list; up to five responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

16 11TH ANNUAL B2CCONTENT B2CCONTENTCREATION & MARKDISTRIBUTIONETING BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS

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INSIGHTS FOR 2021 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION

The top three technologies B2C marketers report using to assist with content marketing are analytics tools (85%), social media publishing/analytics (73%), and software (71%).

Technologies B2C Organizations Use to Assist With Content Marketing

Analytics tools (e.g., , dashboards) 85%

Social media publishing/analytics 73%

Email marketing software 71%

Content creation/collaboration/workflow 53% Content management system (CMS) 43% Customer relationship management (CRM) system 39% Content distribution platform 24%

2 4 6 8 9

Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

18 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION

73% of B2C marketers say they use keyword research tools for search engine optimization (SEO) during the content creation process.

Editorial Tools B2C Marketers Use While Creating Content

Keyword research for search engine optimization (SEO) 73% Shared docs to collect/track ideas (e.g., Google Docs, Excel) 60% Editorial calendar 58% Personas (e.g., buyer, customer, audience) 48% Writing readability tools (e.g., Grammarly, Hemingway Editor) 37% Ideation/collaboration/project management platforms 34% Fact-checking procedures/tools 22% Other 8%

2 4 6 8

Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

19 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION

The top four types of content B2C marketers report using are posts/short articles (83%), email newsletters (74%), videos (pre- produced) (62%), and infographics/charts/photos (55%). Notable differences from last year:  Virtual events/webinars/online courses increased to 39% from 27%.  In-person events decreased to 37% from 50%.  Livestreaming content increased to 35% from 13%.

Content Types B2C Marketers Used in Last 12 Months B2C marketers who use at least two content types reported that Blog posts/short articles 83% blog posts/short articles, email Email newsletters 74% newsletters (tied at 26%), and pre-produced videos (13%) produced Videos (pre-produced) 62% the best overall content marketing Infographics/charts/photos 55% results for their organization in the last Virtual events/webinars/online courses 39% 12 months. In-person events 37% Other content types used in last Videos (livestreaming content) 35% 12 months: Digital magazines (19%), E-books/guides 29% (19%), print magazines Case studies 24% (18%), research reports (13%), white Long-form text (e.g., articles 3,000+ words) 22% papers (13%), print books (7%), and other (8%). 2 4 6 8

Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

20 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION

48% of B2C marketers indicate their organization has established an online community. Among those who have not, 31% say they are likely to within the next 12 months, while another 45% say they are unlikely to.

Has Your B2C Organization How Likely is Your B2C Organization Established an Online Community? to Establish an Online Community in the Net 12 Months?

12% 15% ■ Extremely likely ■ Somewhat likely ■ Yes 48% ■ Neither likely nor unlikely ■ No 16% 52% 30% ■ Somewhat unlikely ■ Extremely unlikely 12% ■ Unsure 15%

Base: B2C content marketers. Base: B2C content marketers whose organizations have not established an online community. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

21 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION

The top three organic content distribution channels B2C marketers report using are social media platforms (82%), their organization’s website/blog (79%), and email (76%).

Organic Content Distribution Channels B2C Marketers Used in Last 12 Months

Social media platforms 82% Their organization’s website/blog 79% Email 76% Media/influencer relations 30% Speaking/presenting at virtual events 29% Guest posts/articles in third-party publications 28% Speaking/presenting at in-person events 22% Guest spots (e.g., podcasts, live videos) 19% Collaborative social spaces (e.g., Slack, Teams) 12% Listening platforms (e.g., Audible, Spotify, Apple Podcasts) 6% Other 3%

2 4 6 8 9

Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

22 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION

B2C marketers use Facebook as their top organic social media platform for content distribution. These percentages are similar to last year, with two notable exceptions:  Instagram increased to 81% from 74%.  YouTube increased to 72% from 62%.

Organic Social Media Platforms B2C marketers who use B2C Content Marketers Used in Last 12 Months at least two organic social media platforms reported Facebook 97% that Facebook (59%) and Instagram 81% Instagram (21%) produced the best overall content YouTube 72% marketing results for their 67% organization in the last LinkedIn 65% 12 months.

2 4 6 8 9 Other organic social media platforms used in last 12 Base: B2C content marketers whose organizations used organic social media platforms to distribute content in the last 12 months. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. months: (29%), B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020. Snapchat (10%), Medium (6%), Quora (5%), Reddit (5%), TikTok (4%), and other (3%).

23 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION

72% of B2C marketers used paid channels to distribute content in the last 12 months, compared with 85% the previous year. The types used, as well as the proportion of respondents who use each one, are nearly identical to last year’s findings.

Did Your B2C Organization Paid Content Distribution Channels Use Any Paid Distribution Channels B2C Marketers Used in Last 12 Months for Content Marketing Purposes in the Last 12 Months? Social media /promoted posts 91% (SEM)/pay-per-click 68% Banner ads promoting your content 50% Sponsorships (e.g., events, booths, workshops) 42% 28% ■ Yes /sponsored content ■ No (not including social media platforms) 40% 72% Partner emails promoting your content 23% Other 2%

2 4 6 8

Base: B2C content marketers whose organizations used paid content distribution Base: B2C content marketers. channels in the last 12 months. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

Of all the paid distribution channels they use, B2C marketers said social media advertising/promoted posts (45%) and search engine marketing (SEM)/pay-per-click (31%) produced the best overall content marketing results for their organization in the last 12 months.

24 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION

Of the B2C marketers who use paid advertising on social media, the two platforms they use most often are Facebook (94%) and Instagram (58%).

Paid Social Media Platforms B2C Content Marketers Used in Last 12 Months Other paid social media Facebook 80% 94% platforms used in last 12 Instagram 58% months: Pinterest (12%), Quora (3%), Snapchat (3%), YouTube 33% Reddit (2%), TikTok (2%), and LinkedIn 26% other (5%). Twitter 26%

2 4 6 8

Base: B2C content marketers whose organizations used paid social media platforms to distribute content in the last 12 months. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

25 11TH ANNUAL B2CMETRICS, B2CCONTENTGOALS & MARKOVERALLETING BENCHMARKS,SUCCESS BUDGETS, AND TRENDS

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INSIGHTS FOR 2021 METRICS, GOALS & OVERALL SUCCESS

77% of B2C marketers report their organization uses metrics to measure content performance. Website traffic (87%) is the metric they use most often.

Does Your B2C Organization Metrics B2C Organizations Tracked to Use Metrics to Measure Measure Content Performance in Last 12 Months Content Performance? Website traffic (e.g., page views, backlinks) 87% 10% Social media analytics (e.g., time spent, views, shares) 81% Email engagement (e.g., opens, clicks, downloads) 79% 13% ■ Yes

■ Website engagement (e.g., time spent, No bounce rate, form completions) 79% ■ 77% Unsure Conversions (e.g., traffic to subscribers, leads to sales) 78% Search rankings 57% Email subscriber numbers (e.g., growth, unsubscribes) 56%

Base: B2C content marketers. Cost to acquire a lead, subscriber, and/or customer 40% B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020. PR mentions/media coverage 33% Marketing qualified lead metrics (e.g., MQLs, SQLs) 12% Other 1%

2 4 6 8 9

Base: B2C content marketers whose organizations use metrics to measure content performance. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

27 METRICS, GOALS & OVERALL SUCCESS

B2C marketers continue to report using content marketing successfully to reach numerous goals. Notable differences from last year:  Build credibility/trust increased to 76% from 65%.  Build loyalty with existing clients/customers increased to 70% from 55%.  Build a subscribed audience increased to 55% from 38%.

Goals B2C Marketers Have Achieved by Using Content Marketing Successfully in Last 12 Months

As Reported As Reported All Respondents One Year Ago* Two Years Ago** Create brand awareness 81% 84% 79% Build credibility/trust 76% 65% 67% Educate audience(s) 71% 75% 65% Build loyalty with existing clients/customers 70% 55% 63% Build a subscribed audience 55% 38% 45% Generate sales/revenue 54% 48% 52% Generate demand/leads 52% 61% 57% Nurture subscribers/audiences/leads 48% 49% 42% Support the launch of a new product 44% 51% 40% Drive attendance to one or more in-person or virtual events 37% 36% 33%

*See B2C Content Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends **See B2C Content Marketing 2019: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

28 METRICS, GOALS & OVERALL SUCCESS

34% of B2C marketers say their organization was extremely or very successful with content marketing in the last 12 months; another 49% say it was moderately successful.

How B2C Marketers Rate Their Organization’s Overall Level of Content Marketing Success in Last 12 Months

1% 6% 16% ■ Extremely successful 28% ■ Very successful ■ Moderately successful 49% ■ Minimally successful ■ Not at all successful

Base: B2C content marketers; aided list. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

29 METRICS, GOALS & OVERALL SUCCESS

B2C marketers who reported high levels of content marketing success (extremely/very successful) said the top two factors contributing to that success were the value their content provides (77%) and website changes (59%).

Factors B2C Marketers Attribute to Their Organization’s Content Marketing Success in Last 12 Months

The value our content provides 77% Website changes (e.g., new content) 59% Search rankings 49% Strategy changes 37% Changing buyer/consumer behaviors (e.g., more time on ) 35% Earned media (e.g., PR mentions, media coverage) 27% Changing our products/services 15%

Other 5%

2 4 6 8

Base: B2C content marketers whose organizations were extremely/very successful with content marketing in the last 12 months. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.

B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

30 B2C11TH ANNUAL B2CCONTENTBUDGETS MARK& SPENDINGETING BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS

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INSIGHTS FOR 2021 BUDGETS & SPENDING

Most respondents went into 2020 with a content marketing budget. As 2020 progressed toward the midpoint, one-third of B2C respondents decreased their content marketing spending, but 50% made no change.

2020 Annual Budget for B2C Change in B2C Content Content Marketing: Pre-Pandemic (Average) Marketing Spending in H1 2020 in Response to Pandemic

■ Less than 100,000 ■ ■ 100,000 to under 500,000 No change in our spending 29% 17% on content marketing ■ 500,000 to under 750,000 41% ■ Decreased our spending ■ 750,000 to under 1,000,000 50% on content marketing 3% ■ 1,000,000 or more ■ Increased our spending on 33% content marketing 3% 21% ■ We didn’t have a content marketing 4% budget established for 2020

Note: The question read: “Prior to the pandemic, approximately how much Base: B2C content marketers. had your organization budgeted for 2020 content marketing (not including B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020. salaries), in U.S. dollars?”

Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

32 BUDGETS & SPENDING

The majority of B2C respondents expected to spend about the same on content marketing during the second half of 2020 as they did during the first half.

B2C Marketers’ Estimated Change in Content Marketing Spending: H2 2020 vs H1 2020

19% 27% ■ Increase ■ Stay the same ■ Decrease 54%

Base: B2C content marketers. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

33 BUDGETS & SPENDING

30% said their B2C organization had shifted traditional paid advertising dollars to content marketing in the last 12 months.

Did Your B2C Organization Shift Paid Advertising Dollars to Content Marketing in the Last 12 Months?

■ Yes

22% ■ 30% No ■ Unsure 15% ■ We haven’t spent on traditional advertising in the last 12 months 33%

Base: B2C content marketers. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

34 B2C11TH ANNUAL B2CCONTENTINSIGHTS MARKFORET 2021ING BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS

35

INSIGHTS FOR 2021 INSIGHTS FOR 2021

67% of B2C marketers felt the pandemic would have a major or moderate long-term impact on their organization’s overall content marketing success.

Long-Term Impact B2C Marketers Think Pandemic Will Have on Their Organization’s Content Marketing Success

6% 5%

19% ■ Major ■ Moderate 23% ■ Slight ■ None 48% ■ Unsure

Base: B2C content marketers. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

36 INSIGHTS FOR 2021

INSIGHTS FOR 2021

B2C respondents predict the top content marketing areas their organizations will invest in during 2021 are content creation (61%), social media management/community building (54%), and website enhancements (53%).

Top 5 Areas of Content Marketing B2C Marketers Think Their Organization Will Invest in During 2021

Content creation 61% Social media management/community building 54% Website enhancements 53% Content distribution organic/nonpaid 43% Customer experience 40% Getting to know audiences better (e.g., personas, social listening, research) 36% Content distribution paid 31% Events (digital, in-person, hybrid) 30% Earned media (PR/media/influencer relations) 27% Content marketing-related technologies 25% Staffing/human resources 18% Other 2%

2 4 6 8

Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; maximum of five responses permitted. B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Insights for 2021. Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020.

37 INSIGHTS FOR 2021 ACTION STEPS FOR MOVING FORWARD By Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Advisor, CMI

Stop Waiting For The New What we do know is that as B2C marketers, developing Normal—We’re Already In It direct relationships with consumers will increasingly Welcome to 2021. You know, we spent depend on great digital experiences. So, we can start so much time in 2020 struggling for an planning with a self-assessment of our content marketing answer to “what now,” that it seemed plan. Remember that answering “what now” is not trying impossible to plan for 2021. And now we’re all wondering to plan for “what’s next.” Look at all the things that if 2021 is simply a replay of last year. evolved this past year. What things do you want to keep? What do you want to change? What should you and your What can we do, then? We often mistakenly believe that team stop doing? Then, with those things in mind, ask “what now” means we should take the experiences we had yourself how you and your team might change to prepare in 2020 and try to predict the new normal future. Will it be for whatever comes next. summer when we get back to normal? Will the vaccines help? Will the economy improve? We often plan our “what Content Marketing Is Cool—But Content now” road map based on an assumption that our previous Operations Make It Work experience helps us to see around corners. As 2021 begins, we’re seeing more B2C businesses begin to in-source many elements of content creation, production, Spoiler alert: No one really knows what will happen. and management, particularly within large companies.

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38 INSIGHTS FOR 2021

This move to “in-house” services, however, is fueling a Get Your Audience Data Plan Together broader evolution in building a more creative and media- Customer data is going to become an increasingly fluent service to the overall business. precious commodity. As we saw from this year’s research, “building credibility and trust” is a huge goal for content As content marketers, it’s not enough to just understand marketing now. You’ll need the data in order to know how to create , infographics, or other media assets. where and how to be trustworthy. But you’ll need to be trustworthy in order to get the data. If that sounds like a We need to understand how content operations work at Catch-22, it is. But delivering value to audiences before scale. That means understanding technology, governance, they become customers is the way out of it. and how to structure content so that it can be reused, repackaged, and leveraged across silos. If you’re looking for measurability, there will be no other foundational element as important as connecting your It won’t be long before your business starts looking hard content marketing experiences and being able to have at how to make content more efficient—and measurable a 360-degree view into the audience you are engaging. at scale. Content marketers that have skill sets and This includes, of course, the data that customers willingly, knowledge beyond just creating powerful content will be trustingly, and emotionally give to you as part of that ready to evolve and lead that charge. program. This is what Forrester calls “Zero Party Data.” We just call it building an audience.

39 METHODOLOGY & DEMOGRAPHICS

This report is based on the results of the Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs 11th Annual Content Marketing Survey. The online survey was emailed to a sample of marketers using lists from CMI and MarketingProfs. A total of 1,707 recipients from around the globe—representing a range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes—replied to the survey in July 2020. This report presents the findings from the 233 respondents who indicated:

 Their organization is a for-profit B2C company, with the majority (66%) based in North America.  Their organization has used content marketing for at least one year.  They are a content marketer, involved with the content marketing function, and/or someone to whom content marketing reports.

Note: In instances where we observed notable year-over-year differences, this report contains comparisons with findings from last year’s 10th annual survey—reported on in B2C Content Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends. Some percentages shown in this report do not total 100%, due to rounding.

Find all our past research at ContentMarketingInstitute.com/research.

Size of B2C Company B2C Content Marketing B2C Industry (by Employees) ob Function Classification

4% 7% 20% 14%15% 22% 21% 5% 6% 29% 5% 12% 6% 11% 26% 31% 23% 6% 26% 7% 9% 9%

■ Micro (fewer than 10 employees) ■ Senior leadership (e.g., CEO, owner, CMO, VP, GM) ■ Retail/e-commerce ■ Small (10-99 employees) ■ Marketing management ■ Financial services/banking/insurance ■ Content creation/content management ■ Agency (content marketing, advertising, digital, PR) ■ Medium (100-999 employees) ■ Marketing operations ■ Healthcare/med/pharma/life sciences ■ Large (1,000+ employees) ■ Advertising/PR/comm management ■ Travel/tourism/hospitality ■ Sales/business management ■ Manufacturing ■ Other ■ Education ■ Professional services ■ Technology/IT/software/hardware ■ Other

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Thanks to all the survey participants who made this research possible and to everyone who helps disseminate these findings throughout the content marketing industry.

About Content Marketing Institute Content Marketing Institute is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multichannel storytelling. CMI’s Content Marketing World event, the largest content marketing-focused event, is held every fall in Cleveland, Ohio, and ContentTECH Summit event is held every spring in San Diego, California. CMI publishes Chief Content Officer for executives and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known brands in the world. Content Marketing Institute is organized by Informa Connect. Learn more at ContentMarketingInstitute.com

About Informa Connect Informa Connect is a specialist in content-driven events and digital communities that allow professionals to meet, connect, learn, and share knowledge. We operate major branded events in Marketing, Global Finance, Life Sciences and Pharma, Construction and Real Estate, and other specialist markets, and connect communities online year-round.

About MarketingProfs MarketingProfs is a business-to-business marketing education company—a growing community of more than 550,000+ marketers who aspire to learn, connect, and lead. Its training and education programs include webcasts, master classes, workshops, and its flagship event, the MarketingProfs B2B Forum. And its community offers the support and networking modern marketers need—as a department of 1 or 1,000. Learn more at MarketingProfs.com.

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